The Best RTD Margaritas Right Now
I'll Be Home for National Margarita Day
Americans have always had a passion for margaritas. Most recently, in perhaps the ultimate nod to our nation’s love for agave and lime, the Lifetime Network debuted a “holiday” movie collab with Chili’s entitled I’ll Be Home for National Margarita Day. An espresso martini mini-series is sure to follow.
We also adore RTD’s, those cute little (and not so little) cocktail cans and bottles that you can take anywhere, or that let you pour mixologist quality drinks at home with just a glass, some ice, and maybe a shaker or a garnish. It follows that margaritas, especially those made with actual tequila, have become an incredibly popular RTD cocktail.
The hard data backs this up. According to the Distilled Spirits Council’s 2025 Annual Economic Briefing, “pre-mixed cocktails and spirits-based RTDs were the top growing spirits category by revenue in 2024, growing by $468M.” Tequila “has become the second-largest category by supplier revenue, trailing only behind vodka. Since 2003, Tequila/Mezcal volumes have grown 302%, an average rate of 6.8% per year,” says Audrey Woods, DISCUS Communications Manager.
The following list includes some new entries to the ever-improving canned and bottled margarita marketplace. If you were hesitant to try a canned cocktail a few years ago (remember Bud Light’s line of Lime-Rita Malt Beverages?), trust us that the quality has gotten infinitely better.
Ready to Drink
Tia Linda's Margaritas
These irresistibly cute 200 ml. cans from central California pack a ton of juicy flavor and a boozy boost at 18% ABV. Our tasting team unanimously adored all the flavors, including the limey classic, the earthy green spicy, the sweet and fruity POG, and the strawberry.
Zing Zang Amazing Margarita
Zing Zang
A household name in Bloody Marys, Zing Zang branched out to margarita mixes and then to canned cocktails. Their sugary, lower in alcohol mango or lime margaritas, while not our first choice, have a pleasingly silky texture and would be fun to throw in a cooler and drink on the beach or the boat. Tip: they taste less sweet when served very cold.
Devils Backbone Tequila Smash Margarita
Acquired in 2016 by beer giant Anheuser-Busch, Devils Backbone Brewing, the Virginia-based folks that brought you the Smash line of fruity vodka RTDs, have formulated four juice and tequila based margarita flavors in 12 ounce cans. At 7.5% alcohol, these fizzy and sweet cocktails are several steps up from hard seltzers, and would make fine porch pounders on the rocks.
Ready to Serve
Via Carota Classic Margarita
Via Carota
The classic bottled cocktails from this Italian restaurant in NYC’s West Village are a splurge but always deliver. Their margarita pours clear, crisp, and boozy from 375 ml bottles. We recommend adding a squeeze of fresh lime and a sea salt rim for some necessary punch.
Astral Margarita
Just added to Diageo’s Cocktail Collection, this margarita made with Astra Bianco tequila comes in at a whopping 21.3% alcohol, with an appropriate triple sec and agave taste. The weighty blue bottle makes it less portable but very attractive for a deck party poolside.
Delola Margarita
Delola
Delola Chairwoman Jennifer Lopez launched this lightly fizzy pale green cocktail in 375’s and 750’s last summer, and the reasonable 25 proof makes it a lovely warm weather sipper over ice. Formulated by renowned mixologist Lynette Marerro, the tart, citrusy blend goes down easy.
El Mar Margarita
This limey version is the bottle I’d keep in my refrigerator for quick weeknight pours. Made from blanco tequila, cane sugar, and Mexican limes and bottled at a boutique distillery in Jalisco, this one tastes most like a margarita you’d enjoy in a palapa in Mexico.
THC
Modern Alchemist Margarita
Modern Alchemist
The team at this lifestyle beverage brand chose margarita as one of three flavors for their THC and CBD infused mocktail line. Lightly fizzy and dosed with agave syrup and citrus, the drink offers a decent flavor profile to accompany the buzz.
Flyers Margarita
Though it bears little resemblance to a classic Marg, this chili-spiked sparkling yuzu zero-proof mocktail created by “Chief Flavor Officer” mixologist Ivy Mix makes a pleasant way to consume 5 mgs of hemp-derived Delta 9 THC.